


flower power

by disasterboy



Category: Waterparks (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Flowers, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Plantbending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-12 06:13:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19941532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disasterboy/pseuds/disasterboy
Summary: If you asked five-year-old Otto Wood what he wanted to be when he grew up, his first answer definitely would not have been "a florist".Or, Otto owns a flower shop, and Geoff is buying flowers for his girlfriend.





	flower power

**Author's Note:**

  * For [keithundead](https://archiveofourown.org/users/keithundead/gifts).



> i wrote this for my friend keith whom i love dearly. thank u for the prompt dude, this was such a fun little thing to write!! <3

If you asked five-year-old Otto Wood what he wanted to be when he grew up, his first answer definitely would not have been "a florist". Yet here he was, watering his dazzling array of roses at nearly 6 in the morning. His younger self would have been disappointed that he didn't become a cowboy spaceman who plays the drums in a rock band, but the current version of him was happy.

The clock above the register chimed to signal that it was exactly 6, and Otto put down his watering pail to flip the sign on the door from "CLOSED" to "OPEN". It was Friday, his busiest day of the week next to Saturday, but people didn't usually start showing up until 7 at the earliest so he had a few hours to himself. Otto picked his way through the shop towards the back room, where he began using his magic on a patch of marigolds that had begun to wilt despite his best non-magical efforts.

Otto had discovered that he could manipulate plants when he was in second grade and accidentally made his bean plants grow on their own. He ended up making a living out of this strange power of his, and now he had a reputation as the best florist in this small section of Houston. His flowers were always in bloom and stayed fresh for weeks afterward. It was enough to get a decent house for him and his cat, and he enjoyed what he did.

His hands and mind faltered when the little bell above the door rang. The marigolds began to lose some of their newly re-found glory as his concentration slipped, and Otto huffed. _'Somebody's already here?'_

"Hello?" whoever it was called out. "Anybody here?"

"Just a second!" Otto yelled back. He finished reviving his beloved plants, and when he was satisfied he made his way back into the front of the shop only to lock eyes with the prettiest boy he had seen in a long time.

Everything about this boy screamed "soft" to Otto. His eyes were a gorgeous shade of blue, similar in color to some of Otto's favorite flowers, and his hair looked soft enough that Otto had the urge to reach out and run his hands through it. His mouth was pulled up in a slight smile that widened when he met Otto's eyes. A quick once-over revealed broad shoulders, a firm-looking chest, and long legs, but Otto's eyes quickly flicked upwards and met the stranger's gaze once more. His mouth refused to work for a good ten seconds before his brain seemed to reboot.

"What can I help you with?"

"I'm, uh, looking for some flowers for my girlfriend. It's our anniversary, and I want to get her something special, but I don't know what kinds of flowers she likes."

"You don't know what kind of flowers your girlfriend likes?"

"She told me she didn't want any, but she made some comment when a friend proposed with some roses about how nice it would be if _I_ got her flowers once in a while, so... I don't know if I did something wrong, or if she was lying about not wanting flowers, but I need help."

Otto paused for a moment, hand on his chin while he pondered the task at hand. "Well, roses always seem to work, and since she got jealous over them I think they'd be a nice gesture. Tulips and peonies are also good options. Do you know her favorite color?"

"She wears a lot of yellow and orange?"

"I can work with that."

For the next twenty minutes, Otto helped this boy design an arrangement for his girlfriend. In those twenty minutes, Otto discovered that his name was Geoff, his girlfriend's name was Chloe, and they had been dating for six months to the day. Otto often snuck glances at Geoff while he worked on picking the biggest buds for the bouquet, but every time he caught a glimpse of the deep blue hue of his eyes he felt guilt prickling at the back of his neck. He tried to ignore it, but the feeling only grew stronger. Still, as Geoff paid for the flowers and left the store with a little wave, part of Otto couldn't help but wish that he was the one getting flowers from Geoff instead of Chloe.

A loud "meow" dragged Otto from his thoughts. Looking down at Jet winding around his ankles only brought back more of the guilty feeling.

"It's been six years, baby girl. Why can't I even look at other boys without feeling like I'm disrespecting Awsten?"

"Meow."

"Yeah, I know I'm just being stupid. Don't give me that look."

Jet, thankfully, didn't respond. Otto didn't have time to dwell on his sorry excuse of a love life for very long before another customer hurried in to escape the cold.

* * *

The next time Geoff appeared in his shop was a few weeks later. The worst of winter had passed (though winter isn't very long or prominent in Texas anyway), and spring was not very far away at all. Otto looked forward to seeing his flowers glow with new life; spring usually enhanced his powers, and he liked taking care of his plants.

Otto was sitting at the register, reading a book while Jet lounged next to him on the counter. At the sound of the bell, Otto looked up to once again be met with bright blue eyes and a kind smile.

"Oh, hey. Geoff, right?" Geoff nodded, and Otto smiled back at him.

"What can I do for you today?"

"I came for another bouquet."

"Did Chloe like the last one you got?"

Geoff's smile slipped into a frown, and Otto visibly winced.

"That bad, huh?"

"She, uh... The reason she made that comment about wanting flowers was because she wanted me to _propose_ to her, not get her flowers. She got upset that there wasn't a ring in them and broke it off. I'm here to get her more flowers to try and win her back."

"Why should _you_ be the one apologizing? Sorry if I'm being nosy or whatever, but she didn't have any right to get mad at you for not proposing to her after only six months."

"I know, but I'm still going to apologize. She means a lot to me, y'know?"

"I understand." Otto stood up and moved to help Geoff pick out another bouquet—this one made of more roses, white this time, with blue hyacinths and purple orchids—before returning to his seat.

"I like your cat, by the way." Otto looked up from where he was punching numbers into the register to see Geoff petting Jet, who was purring up a storm.

"Thanks. Her name is Jet."

"How old is she?"

"Uh... twelve or thirteen, I think?"

"Oh wow, she's an old girl."

"Yeah, she was my boyfriend's cat first."

"You have a boyfriend?" Otto looked up again to see Geoff looking intently at him. Uh oh.

"Uh, had."

"How come you got the cat in the breakup, then, if she was his?"

"He... he passed away."

"Oh. I'm so sorry." Otto waved his hand, more of an "I don't want to talk about it" gesture than anything, and thankfully Geoff dropped the subject by paying and leaving again. Jet rubbed against his face, her way of comforting him as memories of Awsten's smiling face came back to him.

"I know, Jet. I miss him too."

"Meow?"

" _No_ , it's not time for dinner yet."

* * *

Surprisingly, Geoff showed up three days later. Otto would have been delighted to see Geoff again if Geoff hadn't decided to show up at 5:45 in the morning, when Otto had just, began to use his powers on the sad-looking lilies near the front of the store. The bell on top of the door startled Otto, who jumped like he had been shocked. The lilies wilted again in an instant, and the light coming from Otto's hands dispersed into the air.

"Hey, uh... whoa. What's-"

"We're closed for another fifteen minutes," Otto blurted out. Geoff was staring at him, no emotion visible on his face, and Otto could only stare back at him in panic.

"Is this why your flowers are always in season?" Otto nodded numbly, and Geoff... smiled?

"Wicked. Hey, so I know you're closed but I brought you something."

It was then that Otto realized he had his hands behind his back, and Otto's eyebrows shot up in surprise and amusement as Geoff pulled out the latest bouquet Otto had helped him design.

"Is that the one you were going to apologize to Chloe with?"

"Yeah. Halfway to Chloe's place, I realized that she wasn't the one I really wanted to be with."

"And this has to do with why you're offering me flowers because...?"

Geoff chuckled, a noise that went straight to Otto's heart. "Because you're cute, and you always smell like roses, and... you like to dance when you think nobody's watching. The... The Starbucks across the street is kind of the best place for boy-watching."

Geoff seemed almost ashamed of admitting that, and while some probably would have found it creepy Otto was kind of flattered. Geoff offered the flowers to Otto once again, who took them and placed them in an empty vase on the counter. Otto remembered that vase—Awsten had gotten it for him for their six year anniversary—and seeing Geoff's flowers in it settled something inside of Otto. There was no trace of guilt anymore, and he knew that Awsten would be fine with him moving on.

He may or may not have used a bit of magic to make the flowers look prettier and healthier (and totally not to show off for Geoff).

"Is this your way of asking me out?"

"I guess it is, yeah. Are you free after work today?"

"I'm always free." Otto leaned over and kissed Geoff on the cheek, and Geoff absolutely beamed at him.

"By the way, you never told me your name."


End file.
